


Under the Bush

by Judybrandtner



Series: Family of Ten [14]
Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 08:23:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15792729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judybrandtner/pseuds/Judybrandtner
Summary: How one of the members of the Fraser family came to the family.





	Under the Bush

A strong thunderstorm was blowing outside the Fraser home, so loud that it almost had drowned the cries of the youngest Fraser sister. 'It's OK Lizzie, you're full and clean now.' Said a half-sleep Claire as she tried to make her daughter back to sleep. 'It's just a storm, it'll pass.' It was then she noticed, the door of Faith and Brianna's room slightly open. She went to investigate, her heart stopped as she saw the two little beds empty.

'Jamie, Jamie, wake up! She went directly to her own room, to warn her husband

'Claire...?' He said sleepily

'Faith and Bree are not in their room.' She told him. 'I don't know where they are.'

'What?!' He jumped out the bed and started to get dressed when he saw, through the window, two small figures with torches under the rain.

'Faith Janet and Brianna Ellen, what in the name of God are ye doing here at this time and in the middle of a storm.' Jamie demanded his daughters as he stepped out to the garden, Barbour jacket and boots over his pajamas.

'I came down for a glass of water,' Said eight-year-old Bree, 'and somethin' scratched the door, I went to call Faith to help me found it.'

'Bree, 'twas probably just something blown off by the storm.' Jamie said.

'No Da, we heard somethin' too,' Ten-year-old Faith, 'we're sure there's somethin' on the garden.'

'Anyway, 'tis too late and ye're soakin', yer mam is afraid ye're gettin' sick.' Jamie said trying to make the girls go back to the kitchen. But then there was the sound again, a faint purr coming from one of the garden bushes. The girls still wanted to investigate, but Jamie send them to the house, going himself under the bush to see what it had called his daughters attention. 'There ye are, ye wee gomeral.'

Claire had left baby Lizzie back on her crib and was warming some milk for hot chocolate and drying the girls off as Jamie stepped on the kitchen, something in his hands. 'Here ye have yer wee lurker.' It was a kitten, shaking, unbelievable tiny on Jamie's big hands, with soft grey fur and eyes of celadon green. The little girls squeed at see it.

''Tis so wee, and cute.' Said Faith, sweetly petting it.

'A kitten!' Said five-year-old Morag, always a light sleeper, as she went on the kitchen, waken up by the commotion on the house. 'Do we have a kitten now?'

'Aye Da, can we keep it?' Said quickly Bree, making her mother roll her eyes.

'It might have a home already.' Jamie said to the girls.

'But why was it then on out garden on the middle of a storm.' Reassured Faith, the kitten purring on her arms.

'It can have gotten lost.' Jamie answered. 

'We'll be taking it to the shelter in the morning.' Said Claire. 

'No, mam.' Three voices and pairs of puppy eyes looked at her, 'we want it to stay.' added Bree. 'It chose us, it wants to stay here too.'

Jamie and Claire made an agreement with their daughters, the kitten would stay with them, at least for a week, in the meantime they would try to find its home, it if had one. After a week, if no one had reclaimed it, they would decide what to do with it. The week seemed to last for a year for the girls, anxious that anyone calling their home of knocking the door would be asking to get their kitten back. They loved the he, as the local vet had told them on a quick visit to check the kitten's health (Claire's main petition to let the kitten in).

'Yes, this is the Fraser household,' Claire answered the phone was, on the Friday evening, making all the girls to surround her waiting for any news, 'No, we don't need a new car insurance, we're good with the one we have already.' The girls sighed gleefully, smiled and went back to play with the kitten.

The morning of the eighth day, all the Fraser sisters, even two-year-old Julia stumbling holding Bree's hand and six-month-old Lizzie on Faith's arms, went early in the morning to their parents bedroom, Morag holding tightly the kitten, for the final decision about the kitten's future.

'What are you doing here so early?' Claire said at the performance. 'It's Sunday.'

'Ye said that we could keep the kitten if no one called for it on a week and the week has passed.' Said Faith, as the eldest, taking command of the operation.

'We said we would talk about it and then decide.' Claire said.

'But we already decide, we want him, we even had thought a name for him.' Bree said. 'Adso, like Grannie Ellen's old cheetie.'

'Please, we want him.' Morag added, hugging the kitten tighter.

'If we keep the kitten,' Jamie added, 'ye have to promise to care good care of him, feedin', cleanin'. No' just playin' with him.' 

'Aye, we promise.' Said Faith, her sisters nodding in synchronise but for young Julia going a couple of seconds off.

'OK then, he can stay.' Claire finally said. The girls cheered and quickly went out of the room with newly named Adso jumping off Morag's arms and follow his new owners happily.

'Did ye really think we could have won this one, Sassenach?' Jamie said to his wife.

'Not, for a moment.' Said Claire, 'They're Frasers after all.'


End file.
